Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

It is sounding good. Just be aware that federal regulations are a burden to deal with for banks and lenders. The hoops you have to jump through will make you crazy. It is not the bank's fault and these sound like nice people to deal with. After the banks lent to anybody with a pulse some years back and there were zillions of repos, the feds cracked down on lending which only makes it more onerous on both lenders and buyers. Since these people are sounding so helpful it may go smoother and not take very long.

I am excited for you. This is what you have been needing for awhile, it just came down to finding the right place. It is rolling now!

 

[CntryBoy777]

That is Wonderful!!.....I know ya are excited, relieved, and overwhelmed....that is how we felt not too long ago.........just focus on each step...don't keep jumping ahead, rushing thru, or thinking of other stuff before it is to be faced....once the closing is set at a specific time and day, then ya can make moving plans and pick your paint color....til then...use your energy and time to get your things together, packed up, or sorted thru....also, once the closing is set...the owners may allow ya to put some stuff in the house or on the property....we were able to move some of our stuff that way....the owner put a lock on a bedroom door and gave us the key....we gave him a signed paper relieving him of any responsibility.....by the closing date we had all of our things we had with us in the house, so it was sign, sign, sign....get the keys and we just had to setup our things and we were Home....this will allow ya to not be exhausted working til late nite trying to get things moved....cause I know ya will push yourself to get out of the rental....so, glad ya can feel free to "dream" now and thinking of how and what ya want done.....

 

[thistlebloom]

Great news! Very happy for you to have your very own home at last.

 

[farmerjan]

Talked to an insurance co today and will be meeting with her and the owners next week. Got to have ins in place, for the closing, to do this... Talked to the owners, gave them an update. They are going to talk to the mtg lady to see exactly what she needs in the "sale contract". I will talk to the people at the co that takes care of our 401k and investments to see what kind of time frame, to get the money out....
Talked to the friends that went and looked at the house and he said that he thinks he can work it in during the summer. Understand that this is going to be a couple of months to get the bathroom done, the ceilings done, and running "pipes" up for the future bathroom up stairs. I had planned on it taking about 3 months before I will be out of rental completely. We will be in hay during all this too, and so will the friend, and he has 3 other log houses that he is working on. Plus, he is going to do the "plumbing" inbetween other things. I expect to be in there in maybe Sept..... but I want to be all set up, not "moving in" so to speak.
Owners are very pleased with things and said that they are in no push for it to happen so for me to not feel pressured. I mean, it has been empty 6 + years..... I want to get it done when it works out best, and then start by getting the bathroom done, and the upstairs ceilings down.... possibly running some more electric so that there are a few outlets as they didn't put in more than one or maybe 2 in each room when it was built.... no one ever saw the "need" for so many electrical gadgets back then.Plus adding some electric lines for the "new bathroom" and maybe semi finishing that walk in attic. I want to insulate the ceiling in there too, while we are doing the other 2 rooms.... I don't know what insulation is in the ceilings and since they have to come down, can put good insulation in there if needed. May as well do it right if it needs it.
I am not going to sheetrock the ceilings but put up a beaded edge board that the friend uses in his log homes. Cheaper and I LOVE wood..... once up, no painting or upkeep. Will put a stain/finish on them, it is pine, lots of knots, comes from a mill in Pa in Amish country. He goes up and gets it by the trailer load to use. I'd love to do a few walls with it, like paneling.... but for now it will solve the ceiling thing cheaper and much more attractive. He is putting it on the ceiling on the log house I went to look at and I said HE// YES..... So that is GREAT.
I can then get the painting on the walls, done, and other stuff that needs it; then move things each time I make a trip up the hill and put the stuff away where I want it. Give me time to weed out some stuff here, maybe a yard sale of sorts with some things I am not really wanting/needing. I realize that I will be paying 2 payments for a couple of months, but it will be worth it to not have to pay a moving company, get everything all boxed up then have to work through piles of boxes to get things unboxed and put away. I can also deal with this ankle and do it slower and not get so exhausted or pain in the knees and such.

I am sure my son will help.... except he is back with the former gf..... and he doesn't seem to have any time for things. I get tired of asking several times for things to be done. So I am sure I will be able to shame him into helping with some of the furniture/heavy stuff...... but I will just do the rest by myself or with other help. He just gets too occupied with doing for her that I am not near the top of the list..... so whatever.

Once it is in my name, then I think I will get a couple old rolls of hay - rotted & falling apart; put where the garden used to be and put in a few late things. Have about 25-30 lbs of potatoes left, from some given to me last fall, that have foot long sprouts..... can just put the hay down, put sprouts/potatoes into rows, throw down more hay on them and whatever comes through will make potatoes... otherwise they are going to get thrown out. If they grow, good, it not, it will be more organic matter for the garden next year. And will hopefully kill the grass that is growing there too.....Method to the madness. Most people that plant potatoes here, in April or early May, the vines are dying in Aug and they are ready to dig. I would rather they don't need to get harvested until late Sept or Oct....

Had muggy day again, rain/storms/ pouring down this afternoon. Had .3 yesterday eve in the gauge..... another .4 this eve. Supposed to clear off for next few days. Hope he is going to cut some more hay late tomorrow so I can get it worked and we can bale by tuesday. Want to get the field of orchard grass done at his barn, as they are supposed to come and start putting in the road/drive for the cell tower in the next week or so. Would be perfect timing to get the hay off and then they can do whatever and then it will be able to grow all around the rest of the area.

Going to get the baby calf tomorrow as the rain made me decide to not want to be out in the wet with it. Suits the farmer too. Cow hadn't freshened this morning but she can't be waiting much more..... BEAUTIFUL UDDER on her...

Something has gotten into the meat birds the last 2 days they have been out scratching around. Lost several..... no feathers, nothing. Suspect a fox..... so they are going to have to be kept in the pen for now.

 

[Mike CHS]

It's amazing how many critters are out there waiting for us to feed them chickens. I'm sure glad your home plans seem to be coming together.

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm with you on "all the boxes". Many never seem to get unboxed. Heck, I've got things from moms from 4 yrs ago!! Plus, with your knee/ankle limitations, it will work better. When it's THE day, your ill probably round up a few friends and all the furniture will move in!

I love the wood ceilings options. In my upstairs there is similar treatment in the dormer areas.

The electrical outlets were only limitations in some of these older homes. Many had NO or extremely tiny closets. LOL Sunday best was all that hung...the few pair of jeans needed little space. It was a different life. LOL

Most people that plant potatoes here, in April or early May, the vines are dying in Aug and they are ready to dig. I would rather they don't need to get harvested until late Sept or Oct....

Yep, I just put a few in the ground this week. I want late harvest or they just shrivel before I can use them. Here, the weather is not cold enough to freeze them in ground -- especially if mulched. It works like the cold clamps our ancestors used to store, when no cellar. Sweets going in next week...or two.




Chicken losses? Agree, sounds like a fox out there is eating very well!!

 

[Bruce]

Nope, Dad has no pain from his replaced ankle, glad you don't either.

 

[Bruce]

It is going to be a fairly simple deal

It should be, seller/buyer agreement. The bank will want an appraisal, inspection, insurance and title search.

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses you hit the nail on the head..... no closets. There is a built in china cabinet in one wall in the "dining room" and the funny thing it is EXACTLY like the one here in this old stone house I am renting.... I keep my many place settings and serving pieces of the "Liberty Blue " dishes that came out in 1976 to commemorate the 200 yr anniv of the Declaration Of Independence..... used to get the different ones for like $.59 a plate every week with like $15. to $20. worth of groceries and such. Our Grand Union supermarket had them. I would buy groceries numerous times a week to get them. Got most of them, then they weren't readily available. The Soup Tureen was like $9.95 or 12.95 .....
I have since completed my sets, have multiple extras, got the soup tureen and the coasters and the name place accessories.... the soup tureen sells for about $250-350 when you can find it. The Platters and some of the lesser used serving bowls are expensive too..... My set will probably serve 16 full place settings plus some extra odd plates, and several sets of serving dishes etc..... by book value it is probably worth $5,000.00. I have managed to pick up some of the sets of like 4 salad plates still in the original boxes, unused.... and they are naturally worth more.
Guess that is my one "vanity" ..... I just liked the pattern, and I do use it for special occasions. It is the one thing that is "worth some money" in my "estate".....

 

[farmerjan]

@Bruce ... yep that is about what she said at the bank. Title search will be a breeze since it has been in the same family for generations.....ins lady I talked to said she wants to see it but since it is still insured, unless it looks like the walls are going to fall in, she sees no big problems. She knows the guy who does the log homes that is the friend that is going to work it in, in between his other jobs... Water working, electric is still on so they can see things working like the kitchen faucets and all. Plus the owners can give her the dates they replaced/fixed roof, the date it was done for the termites, all that . They are good with all that info. There doesn't have to be an inspection unless the appraiser says they have concerns, because it is a private sale.....something to do with the way she is going to structure it as a remodeling/purchase loan and then roll it over into a mortgage????? Hey, she is the one that said this is not a problem..... I am not going to question however she does it as long as it doesn't have prepayment penalty and is in the % range of what things are now. I am thinking she said like 3.5 % I can't remember. It is still cheap no matter how you look at it. If I do some extras to it, then it will be worth about double what they are asking me.... in this market.

No restrictions on the land either except there is not enough land to qualify for "land use" so will be taxed as residential. But being in the county, can have livestock, buildings, etc....... I may think about keeping one of the milk cows there to milk, and then walking her across the street to the other pasture for her to graze and all.......Some definite possibilities/flexibilities..... NOT going to spend all my time cutting grass; that is what the animals are for. And I may very well get a sow or two and raise some pigs again. My son thinks they are not profitable.... but I like them. I can get enough out of a litter of pigs to more than pay for their feed.... hate to keep a boar for only 2 sows..... but then I could rent him out as it was hard to find someone to get a boar from when we only had 2 or 3 sows.....

Lots of maybes.... got to get it done first, but it is definitely working in that direction. Not going to do anything with animals this year except get my purebred chickens there and get some pens set up so I can maybe get some breeders at the swap meet this fall and be able to breed and incubate some chicks next year. Meat birds are seasonal for me, and if I do the knees then I definitely don't want to have much there to do except a few pens of purebreds and the farm cats that I can catch. I am going to move some of them to the "main farm" as the mice/rats are a pain there. Too bad the cats wouldn't catch the groundhogs.....
Will get the boxwoods pulled out and a few saplings that have taken root, yanked out/cut down; right around the house then see how things work...... where the shade is from what trees all that sort of stuff.